Anything But This
Anyone But You, starring Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney, feels cute initially, but it certainly does not deserve the hype, nor the label of “best modern rom-com”, as I have so often seen it receive.
This film isn’t necessarily bad. There are many redeeming qualities — I absolutely loved the soundtrack; admittedly, Natasha Bedingfield’s ‘Unwritten’ was playing in my headphones for weeks — but eventually the novelty wore off. It became apparent this so-called ‘Shakespeare adaptation’ is little more than another mid rom-com.
Anyone But You lacks any sort of emotional warmth that you expect from the beloved genre. Featuring unnatural, unrealistically curated studio sets, it feels less like a charming romance film and closer to a commercial full of perfectly polished lives.
And, while Ben (Powell) and Bea (Sweeney) do undeniably have amazing chemistry together, their connection with supporting characters leaves a lot to be desired. Unconvincing interactions with the likes of Bea’s sister or Ben’s best friend make it difficult to believe that they have any sort of close relationship at all. I found myself constantly forgetting how Ben was even relevant in the mix of the wedding party.
The utter selfishness of the characters also doesn’t provide much of a motive for audiences to root for them, either. As much as I adore the staple rom-com ‘grand gesture’, I don’t think abandoning your sister’s wedding to do so is the picture-perfect scenario…
In short, this overrated film should not be met with the phrase, “rom-coms are SO back!”
Words by Martha Poll
Pretty Woman or Pretty Overrated?
Overrated romance is by no means confined to the 21st century. Critics and audiences alike have slated the 1990 rom-com, Pretty Woman, as a cult classic, but is this unwarranted?
The story follows a prostitute (Julia Roberts) serving as a paid escort to a wealthy corporate white-collar man (Richard Gere) during a week of business meetings. They end up with a budding romantic relationship, but at what cost?
The premise itself is already problematic, with a clear imbalance between Vivian, the ‘paid partner’, and her affluent client, Edward. While Vivian does have some agency, she must ultimately conform to the image of Edward’s ideal woman. So, in classic rom-com fashion, she has a makeover, shedding her original look to become a posh, wealthy woman funded by her man. By the end of the film, Vivian has lost her sense of independence; she is now a prim and proper lady sporting business casual suits.
Roberts is a charming presence throughout the film, but Gere is rather dull and lifeless in his role. His character is nothing more than Vivian’s male love interest and cash cow.
Nostalgia may be blinding people to the real moral of the story: if you’re in a bad situation, just become a rich person’s escort for a week and hope they fall in love with you…
Words by Ben Scott
Will You Regret Watching?
Regretting You seemed like a fun watch. Based on a well-liked book and sporting a star-studded cast, I had high hopes; these hopes didn’t last.
The first few scenes might as well be from an episode of The Real Housewives. After lead character Morgan’s husband and sister are killed in a car accident, the widow is left to grieve with her daughter Clara, her sister’s baby daddy Jonah, and his newborn, motherless baby. Not even a commercial break later, the viewer learns that the late husband and sister were in a long-term affair.
Instead of dealing with this devastating blow like fully functioning adults, Jonah and Morgan suddenly realise that, since high school, they’ve been in love. While the film’s convoluted plotline flits between incest and cheating, the producers decided the best way to show their “love” was through choppy flashbacks… with the same late 30-year-old actors playing their high-school selves.
The B-plot of this film, somehow even harder to watch, follows Clara as she attempts to deal with her grief. Her solution? Flirting with her long-time, unavailable crush, Miller. Yet, as fate would have it, Miller and his off-screen girlfriend break up, allowing him and Clara to get serious.
The finale brings no salvation. Miller plays a video collage for Clara, containing his love confessions to her — ignoring the fact that the entire time he was in another relationship. Meanwhile, Jonah and Morgan cuddle each other, holding the late-sister’s baby, happy and in love. Allegedly.
Truly, some films are best left on the cutting room floor…
Words by Sienna Sossi
Featured image courtesy of Ron Latch via Canva. No changes have been made to this image. Image licence can be found here.
